More than 120 years after the White Caps terrorized Sevier County in East Tennessee, longtime residents still won’t talk about the lawless band of vigilantes.

But veteran journalist Robert Wilson shines a spotlight on the group with this detailed history. Relying on a primary source–The White Caps: A History of the Organization in Sevier County, distributed in 1899 by the publisher of the City Directory of Knoxville–as well as his own research, he presents the most complete account to date of why the White Caps were so feared.

Wilson has retrieved details from multiple sources and uncovered shocking details about the dark, faceless members who would disguise themselves with a full-body covering of white fabric with holes cut for the eyes.

Though the description may summon images of the Ku Klux Klan, the White Caps focused their wrath on what they perceived as immoral behavior–although some of their activity targeted blacks and Jews, among others.

However, what started out as a fairly mild enforcement of Victorian values in an isolated, God-fearing community became much, much more. Find out how far the group went in The Eyes of Midnight.